The Toad Brigade
by AmbitionMakesYouUgly
Summary: Join the overlooked members of the Toad Brigade as they fight for their lives on the Starshroom. Takes place alongside the latter portion of "Super Mario Galaxy 2". A review is greatly appreciated. FINAL CHAPTER ADDED
1. Part 1: The Beginning of Something New

_Author's Note: Previously, I was working on a Metroid fanfic known as "The Prodigy." However, due to time constraints, I am suspending that story until further notice. I got the inspiration for "The Toad Brigade" after intensely playing through Galaxy 2 for a couple of days. I decided to forgo long, detailed epics like "The Prodigy" and focus on short stories like these. "The Toad Brigade" is expected to expand five chapters. With that, enjoy the story! _

**Part 1: The Beginning of Something New**

It was a bright, cold morning in the Mushroom Kingdom as Reginald, the top Toad engineer in the country, was putting final modifications on the Starshroom. The Starshroom was a gift from the Lumas, the ancient star people, to the Kingdom to explore space. It has since been modified by Reginald to support living quarters as well as longer traveling capabilities.

The open air felt fresh on his face and the grass was wet from the rain the night before. Behind him watching impatiently was Toad Captain Leon, self appointed leader of the newly formed "Toad Brigade", a rescue unit put together to aid Mario in finding their beloved Princess Peach. However, their true purpose was to actually find and rescue the Princess before Mario does. The team was comprised of Leon, Reginald, Toby the Cook, Jeremiah the Resource Manager and Zeus the Communications Expert. Toby and Zeus both read their newspaper on their respective lawn chairs while Jeremiah lay sleeping next to Toby on the ground.

Captain Leon chewed at his fingernails and paced the ground. Finally, he burst out at the engineer.

"C'mon, Reginald! I thought you finished the ship last night!"

Reginald shifted his glasses and rubbed his blue cap slightly.

"Well, Captain, it seems that Mario's ship went farther into space then originally calculated. So I had to make some minor adjustments to the engine as well as add more fuel to accommodate the trip."

Leon exhaled slowly. Then spoke in a calmer voice to the engineer.

"Sorry if I got carried away, Reggie. I know you've been working hard on the ship for the past few days. I'm just so dang excited to go on an adventure! To be in space! Can you imagine what awaits us there?"

Reginald chuckled slightly, empathizing with the Captain.

"I don't think my imagination is that big to think such things, Captain."

With a deft movement of his hand, the blue headed engineer applied his final adjustments. Satisfied, he turned to Leon.

"She's all yours, Captain."

Toad Captain Leon emitted a high pitched squeal and ran inside the ship, observing the interiors like a child in a museum. Happy with the ship, he ran outside and called to his other teammates.

"Toby! Jeremiah! Zeus! Come, we are leaving!"

Toby and Zeus put their newspapers on the ground as they rushed into the Toad Starship. But lagging behind was Jeremiah, known commonly to his teammates as "Sleepy" due to his infamous ability to sleep in any situation. Jeremiah's excuse was that is was a genetic disease that runs in the family, although this has yet to convince Leon, Zeus, Toby and Reginald.

"Jeremiah!" roared Leon. "Get over here faster! That's an order!"

Yawning, he fast walked to the ship and, when the Captain's back was turned, gave him a very rude hand gesture.

Leon settled comfortably into the captain's seat and ran his hands over the steering wheel, feeling the smooth wood beneath.

"Gentleman," Leon said in an impressively grand voice. "Today, we will embark on the greatest odyssey of our generation. By the time this is over, it will be _us_-not Mario- that rescues the Princess. And when we do, we will finally get a taste of her legendary Peach Cake!

The word "Peach Cake" brought saliva to the mouth of every Toad listening.

"Its time the world realizes that even though we are Toads, we are not helpless. So I have only one question for you, my comrades."

Leon turned and looked at all of them in the eyes.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." replied Toby.

"Ready." replied Zeus

"Aye, aye, Captain." replied Reginald.

*snort* replied a sleeping Jeremiah.

"Excellent!" said the Captain with a wide smile. He turned back to his steering wheel and activated the engine. The ship hummed to life.

"Now, let's rescue the Princess. And let's get our damn cake."


	2. Part 2: Space Trip

**Part 2: Space Trip**

Two weeks passed after that monumental morning and Leon was slumped in his captain's chair, his head on the controls. His team managed to link up with Starship Mario, but their resolve to be the heroes has all but faded. Toby was reduced to being a banker for the plumber and all he does is collect star bits throughout the day like an idiot. Zeus delivers letters to Mario and the crew members. Jeremiah sleeps all day. And Reginald is constantly exploring planets and collecting scientific data. All were content to let Mario rescue the Princess _yet again_.

Except Toad Captain Leon.

"This BS ends today." he murmured in a low voice.

Twenty minutes later, the four Toads were in the Starshroom, facing an angry looking Leon.

"What is up, Captain?" asked Zeus.

"I'll tell you what is up!" roared Leon, causing everyone to suddenly jump (excluding Jeremiah, who was asleep standing up). "We're doing absolutely nothing to rescue the Princess! Come on, men! What happened to you honor?"

"But Mario is handling everything, sir!" said Toby. "And I spoke with Lubba yesterday. He says we're nearing Bowser's territory and that we're really close to finding Peach. And let's face it; the Toad Brigade doesn't stand a chance in a galaxy this close to Bowser's base."

"Nonsense! We have braved it all through the thick and thin! Surely we will be able to-"

"Pardon me, sir," interrupted Zeus. "but weren't you hiding in the Starshroom after a bunch of monsters were attacking Mario and you refused to aid him?"

All eyes turned to the captain. Leon flushed a bright red to match his cap.

"I was adjusting the ship's weapon system and was about to fire a missile, but then-"

"Let's face it; we couldn't defend ourselves from a fifth of the monsters Mario faces daily. I'd rather go down in history as the valiant mailmen who aided the hero then a Toad who died for being stupid."

With that, Zeus left the Starshroom. Slowly, the other members exited the craft. Only Reginald stayed behind to comfort the crushed captain.

"I don't get it." Leon shook his head. "We were going to be heroes. All my life, I wanted to show people that Toads weren't helpless things. But Zeus is right. I am just a hypocrite."

"Toads aren't hero material, Leon." said Reginald. "Our heads are too big. Our arms are too weak. No real special abilities. But rescuing Peach is the important thing, isn't it?"

Leon murmured something indistinctly. Reginald continued.

"Hey, you want to go to one of the galaxies with me? They're really fun to explore!"

"No thanks. I need to be alone with myself."

The blue headed toad nodded and left Leon. Leon slumped back into his captain's chair and laid his head on the controls, defeated and broken.

The next morning, Leon once more called his teammates to the Starshroom. They were apprehensive of another pep talk, but they were greeted instead by a wearied looking Toad. A shell of his former self.

"Hey guys," Leon began weakly. "I've been thinking that I have been way too harsh on you guys lately. So I planned out a special trip for all of us to unwind a bit."

"I want to apologize, chief." said Zeus. "Some of the things I said yesterday were uncalled for."

"Nonsense. You were right. It is better to aid a hero who knows what he is doing then to die in vain. The Princess is all that matters, am I right?"

"Right." they all murmured.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll all get a piece of that cake." The group laughed weakly.

"So where are we going, captain?" asked Reginald.

"I researched some of the planets Mario has already conquered. And the Yoshi Star Galaxy has some nice places we can visit. Is everyone okay on that idea?"

"Aye." said the crew.

"Alright. Let's go now. And someone bring Jeremiah inside. I think he's still sleeping on top of the ship."

The Starshroom was in cruise control. It would be another hour before the ship reached the Yoshi Star Galaxy. Toby, Zeus and Jeremiah were having a three way staring contest to pass the time while Reginald was reading a scientific article published by a guy with a super long name and twenty degrees of various sorts. Leon sat in his chair, staring into the vast black space before his eyes. Sighing, he got up from his chair.

"I gotta take a leak."

Leon shuffled into the latrine. Closing the door, he sighed again and thought of the upcoming trip. Maybe he needed this. Set his priorities in order. Who knows. Maybe he will actually enjoy relaxing for a couple of days.

Just then, a loud explosion rocked the Starshroom, sending Leon sprawling on the floor. Urine sprayed everywhere as the captain was right in the middle of the process before the disturbance. Leon swore loudly and did his best to hold the rest of the piss in. Still disoriented, he stumbled out the latrine door.

"What the hell was that?" he screamed. The entire quarters were in shambles. Tables and chairs were overturned and an alarm was wailing stridently. The crew members looked equally confused.

"No idea, Captain!" said Reginald. "The ship detected it hit something, but whatever it was, it destroyed our sensors before we could read it. We have no idea what that thing is!"

"Well, goddamnit, let's find out now! Toby, where was our ship hit?"

Toby ran over to the computers and checked the ship's structure.

"Near the boiler area, sir!"

Leon turned to his teammates.

"Go to the boiler room and check it out. I'll meet up with up you guys there."

"Where are you going?" asked Zeus.

The Toad Captain motioned at his urine soaked trousers.

"I'm getting me some new pants."

Leon ran through the hallways of his ship and to the Boiler Room. He saw the rest of his team looking at a gaping hole in the ceiling. Debris littered the floor underneath.

"Any idea what it is?" he asked Reginald.

"Whatever it was, it managed to eat its way through the ship's hull with some type of formic acid. Then it crawled around a bit in the vent and poof! It is gone."

"It sounds like you are describing some sort of creature."

"Judging by the physical print it left on impact and the acid, there is no way it was an asteroid or meteor. It was something alive."

"Guys, I found something." Toby whispered. His face was a deathly shade of pale. He was holding a small computer that was wirelessly linked to the ship. "I'm detecting a heat signature in the Starshroom. And it isn't any of us."

There was a vast silence. An immeasurable fear filled each one of their hearts. The fear of the unseen, the unknown.

"Where is it?" asked Leon.

"In the observatory."

"That's on the other side of the ship. So it did use the ventilation to travel. We'll go to the control room, seal off that area, and send a distress signal to Starship Mario."

Leon looked at the rubble beneath his feet from the creature's entry. He turned to his Brigade and smiled weakly.

"Won't be too scary, right?"

The hallway lights flickered and turned off as the power went out.


	3. Part 3: Strange Stuff on the Starshroom

**Part 3: Strange Stuff on the Starshroom**

A full minute of darkness (and the screaming, shouting and sobbing of the Toad Brigade) passed by before the emergency lights were activated. The interiors were soon bathed in a sickly green glow.

Clearing his throat, the Toad Captain gathered his teammates around him

"Alright," said Leon in a voice one octave higher then normal. "I wasn't expecting that."

"If the power is out, then how are we gonna seal off the observatory?" asked Jeremiah, who was miraculously awake.

"Shit." Leon rubbed his cap vigorously. "The distress signal is still run by the emergency generator, correct?

"Correct." confirmed Reginald.

"Well, let's activate the distress beacon and also check if there is still some power left to close the doors."

The five Toads eventually made their way into the main cockpit. Reginald quickly punched in the distress signal. Suddenly, he slammed his fist into the table.

"Damnit!"

"What is it?" asked Leon.

"Whatever that thing was, it knocked out our emergency beacon too. Look, the distress signal light is off!"

Reginald pointed it to the team and he was right; the distress signal light should be flashing red as soon as the beacon was activated. Instead, it remained inactive. A cold pit formed in the stomach of every member of the Toad Brigade.

"What about the doors?" asked Leon in an apprehensive tone.

Reginald shook his head.

Leon started pacing the floor. The entire Brigade was fixated on the Captain. Even Jeremiah was watching intently. Finally, Leon spoke.

"This is what'll happen: Toby and Reginald, you guys go to the power generator and try to fix whatever is in there. It's critical we get at least surveillance videos up and running to monitor the halls. Jeremiah, Zeus and I will go to the storage and get some stun sticks."

"We brought stun sticks?" asked Zeus sharply. "I thought we didn't bring any weapons aboard the ship."

"The sticks were brought for self defense against things like Goombas or anything small." explained Reginald. "Non lethal versions though.

"Comforting." sneered Jeremiah.

"As soon as we get the sticks and you guys fix the generator, we'll meet back here."

"And what, pray tell, will happen if the alien thing wants to visit the defenseless Toads in the generator room for a midnight snack?" asked Toby in a low voice.

"Use the walkie and we'll be there in a flash, weapons or no weapons. I'm not gonna abandon any one of you. Trust me on this."

Toby sighed a little, his face still etched with worry.

"Maybe we'll be lucky." murmured the Banktoad. "Maybe it's a peace loving creature, looking for affection, kindness-"

A loud, unearthly moan interrupted Toby in midspeech. Echoing throughout the halls, it seemed to encompass the Toad Brigade in an ensnaring web of unnamable fear. It lasted for perhaps three seconds before fading back into the darkness.

It was all quiet, except for the sound of a sobbing Toby in the corner.

Few minutes later, after much cajoling, Reginald and the terrified green Banktoad were walking to the generator.

"I must be insane to go through with this." whimpered Toby.

Their footsteps echoed in the long, barely illuminated hallway that stretched before them.

"How long will it take to fix the generator, Reg?"

"Well, I doubt it's too badly damaged. The impact was pretty far from it so, at most, it probably knocked around a couple of wirings. I'll be able to fix that in a few minutes."

"Thank God. I wouldn't want to- wait. What was that?"

Toby pointed to the very end of the hall, where it was pitch black. Reginald peered into it.

"What was what?"

"Something just moved back there. I swear to God. Something just moved back there!"

Toby's breathing was steadily getting faster and faster.

"You're eyes must be playing tricks on you." said Reginald. "I don't see a thing."

"Oh God. Let's hurry and fix the generator. I gotta get out of here before I lose it."

The two quickened there pace and reached the power room. The generator, cast in complete darkness, was all but a dark outline to their eyes. Reginald activated a low power flashlight and opened up a hatch on the front of the mechanical device. A few moments passed before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just as I thought; a few of the wires got knocked around and cut off the power. I'll just adjust it here and- wait. Oh. Oh, damnit."

"What? What?" asked a breathless Toby.

"The wire that supplies power to the hallway lights got severed completely somehow. Everything in the ship will work except for those."

"You're telling me that we'll have to walk back through the creepy dark hallways _again_? Is some deity from above playing a sick joke on us?"

"As long as the surveillance cameras are up, we'll still be able to see what's going on back at the cockpit. Adjusting…and…there. We have power. By the way, the cameras also come equipped with night vision so we'll be able to see-"

"BLAAAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

Reginald jumped a foot in the air from Toby's bloodcurdling scream. It felt like his heart would explode. The engineer looked at the green Toad furiously.

"TOBY! What the hell was that!"

"I saw something move, Reg! I saw it, it was _right there_! Oh God. Oh God! Something is in the room with us! Oh God."

"Toby, for the last time; we're the only ones in the ro-"

A solid shadow stirred in the right corner of the room. This time, both of them saw it.

"!" screamed both of them.

With their hearts full of primal fear, the two Toads booked it to the cockpit, their feet barely touching the ground.

Unlike our two heroes in the generator hall, the three Toads had an uneventful trip as they approached the storage closet. Activating a flashlight, Leon looked around for the long, tubes that resembled glow sticks. He found them in the middle shelf, laying in a box titled "Self Defense Only".

"Guys, here they are!" said Leon. He took out the box and allowed each member to take a stick out. He put the remaining two in his pockets for Toby and Reginald.

"So how do you work these things?" asked Zeus, examining the green tubes.

"Simple. Shake it a few times and it will be activated. You'll hear a ping."

The three heroes exited the storage closet, each holding there own stun stick.

"Alright," said Leon. "Let's check up on the other two." Taking out a walkie talkie, he adjusted the frequency to Reginald's number.

"Reginald, my man! Did you activate the power, over?"

"*gasp* Yeah we did *gasp* but the hallway lights were *wheeze* unfixable. We're at the *cough* cockpit, over."

"Good God, what happened to you? Over."

"We were running *exhale* cause we saw something. Just hurry over please, over?"

"Roger that. Over and out."

Leon switched off the talkie and looked at his teammates.

"They turned on the power, but the hallway lights are permanently disabled. Let's head ba-"

"Hold on." said Jeremiah, holding up a hand. "Did you guys hear something?"

Everyone remained still, hearing nothing except the unbearable tension in the air. In front of them was the hallway that would lead back to the cockpit. To the right was the hallway leading to the observatory, the site where the creature was last spotted.

Leon gulped.

"I don't hear a thing, man. C'mon, let's head back now."

The three started walking forward into the barely illuminated, sickly green tinted hallway. Their steps echoed down the empty hallway. Suddenly, a noise, the slightest of noises, caught Leon's ear. He held up his hand and turned to the group.

"You guys heard that?"

Zeus and Jeremiah nodded.

"What was that? Wait, I hear it again. Its getting…louder? But what is it- oh God. Oh God. Those are footsteps. Those are- THOSE ARE FOOTSTEPS! AND THEY'RE COMING FROM THE OBSERVATORY HALL! THEY'RE COMING FROM THE-OH GOD! THEY'RE GETTING LOUDER! THEY'RE GETTING LOUDER! GODAMNIT, EVERYBODY RUUUUN!"


	4. Part 4: The Departure

**Part 4: Departure**

Heavy panting and wheezing filled the cockpit of the Starshroom. But besides the dreadfully shaken nerves, everyone was unharmed. Wiping a film of sweat from his brow, Captain Leon turned to Reginald.

"Turn on the surveillance cameras."

With a flip of a switch, the ship's monitor was divided into twelve separate windows. Each of the windows was too dark to show any details of the ship.

"Activate night vision."

With another flip, the windows took on a green tint and the interiors were shown in ghostly, but concrete details.

"Seal off the observatory."

Click. Through the cameras, Leon saw the steel doors closing off the horrid place and its hallways.

He sighed.

"Well, we got that over with."

"But what now?" asked Toby impatiently. "How the heck are we going to get out of here?"

"What do you mean? We just sealed off the area. The creature is inside and we'll let Mario or someone deal with it when we fly back."

"Captain, me and Reginald saw something in the generator room! That's on the other side from where the observatory was! Whether it's still the alien or not, there is still something roaming the ship!"

"Then let's check your handheld computer for foreign heat signatures."

"I dropped it when the ship went dark and we all stomped on it by accident."

Leon sighed.

"Are you sure you weren't seeing-"

"Tell him, Reg."

The blue headed Toad swiveled his chair to face the Captain, looking grave.

"I'm afraid he's right, Leon."

Leon rubbed his red cap slowly. A full minute of tense silence went by, occasionally interrupted by Jeremiah's soft snoring.

"Gather around."

Zeus nudged Jeremiah awake and the five Toads were in the center of the cockpit.

"Reginald, will we be able to get this ship moving right now?"

"Unfortunately, we may have to wait at least an hour for the power to sufficiently charge up the engine again for a return trip."

"Alright. This is what'll happen." Leon looked at his teammates and spoke almost in a whisper. The dark bags under his eyes heightened the intensity of his glare.

"Each of us will watch a section of the twelve windows on the monitor and report anything that seems suspicious. We find out what room we see it in and I'll go and investigate whatever the heck it is."

"Captain!" interjected Zeus. "You're not thinking of going alone are you?"

"Even with my headlight, I won't be able to see much going on. That is why you guys are assigned here to continue watching the video cameras."

"But it's dangerous. Captain! For all we know, that thing could be some bloodthirsty alien-"

"And for all we know, it could be a rodent! I'm the Captain and I will be going alone. Is that understood?"

Zeus fell silent. Reginald looked at Leon in awe. How was it possible that this was the same captain from a few previous hours ago? What transformation has taken place here! Then, Reginald looked at the faces of his fellow comrades. They were all haggard and sweaty, etched with paranoia of the slightest shadows, even in the comfort of the cockpit. Even Jeremiah, sleeping upright once again, had a contorted expression in his slumber, as if in a nightmare. Then, Reginald understood. Captain Leon cared too much for his teammates. He too noticed the anxiety written so clearly on their faces from their scares in the Starshroom. To subject them to another walk through the interiors would torture poor Leon's conscience too much!

Sure, Captain Leon wasn't the strongest or the most disciplined Toad out there. But by God, how dedicated he was to the well being of his crew! How much he thought of their needs and how much he wanted to protect them! Reginald looked at Leon's face and noticed it was even more weary then his teammates. No doubt he too was scared to leave the comfort of his fellow comrades. Reginald's heart was filled with adoration for this brave Toad Captain.

"Zeus, you get the first column of three videos. Toby, you get the next. Reginald, you take the third. And I'll have the last column."

"We're really gonna let Jeremiah just sleep?" asked Toby, looking at the unconscious, yellow capped Toad in exasperation and envy.

"Well, I don't really trust him too much to look at a video screen intensely for a period of time. Let him sleep."

So the four Toads stared at their own screens silently, watching for any suspicious activities that may be triggered in the halls of the Starshroom. But nothing happened on the monitor. Pretty soon, the Toads found themselves actually drifting to sleep, despite being in the midst of terror!

Toby was just about to close his eyes when he noticed something in one of his video windows. It was a dark shape at the very bottom of the screen. For all he knew, it could have been there since the beginning. He was too tired to tell if that was the case, but he felt idiotic nonetheless for not pointing it out sooner.

"Hey, chief." said Toby. Leon got up from his chair and went to the Banktoad. The others leaned in to listen.

"What is it?" said Leon.

"Well, I'm not quite sure how long this has been there, but take a look at this." Toby proceeded to point it out to the Captain. Leon looked closely at it.

"If it has been there for a while, it's probably something on the camera that's obstructing the view." replied Leon.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. But still, why haven't I noticed it earlier...?"

For some odd reason, Leon felt compelled to look at the screen even closer, despite the fact he was a hundred percent sure it was just an obstruction.

Slowly, the black mass at the bottom moved up, filling the frame with a distinct outline of a head with long hair.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIIT!" Leon screamed. The other Toads all fell out of their chairs and onto the floor, screaming and cursing wildly. Jeremiah woke with a frightful start and he too screamed and cursed with the rest.

The video was soon blacked out, replaced with eerie static and white noise. Leon remained gasping and wheezing, holding a hand to his thumping heart.

"I don't like that shit… I don't like that shit." he murmured to himself crazily. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he turned to Toby.

"Where was the footage taken, man?"

Unfortunately, Toby was unconscious in his chair from extreme shock to his fragile nervous system. Reginald quickly looked at the green Toad's monitor.

"Just outside the observatory hall."

"You mean that thing escaped our barricades?"

"It could have been the other creature for all we know."

Leon turned to Zeus, who was in charge of the cameras set in the observatory.

"Zeus, did you see anything in the observatory at all?"

"Negative, sir. Nothing to report. "

Leon put both of his hands on top of his cap.

"So now we have _two_ things roaming in the ship. Our seals did nothing. Goddamn."

Leon took the stun stick out from his pocket and headed to the exit. The conscious Toads looked at their Captain, who was about to expose himself to untold risks and danger. Despite their affection for Leon, none of them were too willing to explore the ship for an unknown life form. This was also coupled with the fact that some of them were physically incapable to do so (i.e Toby was unconscious, Jeremiah would just fall asleep in the halls alone and probably be eaten or something).

"Keep your walkie on the entire time. And always look at the monitors and warn me of anything."

"Aye, Captain." replied Reginald, Jeremiah and Zeus. The three all looked at their captain, realizing this might possibly be the last time they see him unharmed and with all his limbs still attached. Each of them had no doubt in his mind that whatever these things were, they were on the ship with a malevolent purpose.

"Why are you guys looking so grim?" Leon asked with a slight smile, masking his own rampant nervousness. "I'll be back before you know it."

With that said, Toad Brigade Captain Leon turned and exited the cockpit, venturing into the sickly green lit halls of the Starshroom.


	5. Part 5: Resolution

**Part 5: Resolution**

Each step reverberated throughout the ghostly halls of the ship and Leon soon found himself breathing jaggedly and his heart beating rapidly. The Toad Captain wiped the sweat from his palms on the front of his shirt.

"What am I worried about?" Leon said in a futile way to comfort himself. "I'm the captain of an elite group. I'm a soldier! I'm not afraid! I'm-"

His words were interrupted by a loud clank that came from the end of the hallway. Leon's shaky confidence immediately plummeted to absolute zero.

"What the hell was that?" he asked the team in a quivering falsetto of terror. "Wh-what the he-hell was that?"

"Movement spotted about thirty feet from you, sir!" said Zeus, doing his best to conceal his own rampant nervousness. "I suggest you take out your stun stick now."

Leon took out his green colored stick with shaky hands. His heart felt like a jackhammer in his chest.

"Can you guys confirm what is up ahead? Like what the thing actually _is_?" Leon whispered.

"Negative." said Reginald. "The camera isn't picking up enough details to register any matches with known organisms. But the creature itself appears small and doesn't appear to have any claws, talons or anything."

"But it could have a giant, gaping maw filled with hundreds of sharp teeth made for shredding!" Leon said shrilly. "I am not going to-"

"Hold up. The creature has stopped in the hallway, Captain. It is now approximately twenty five feet ahead of you. This is the best chance you got."

Leon looked into the hallway. Despite the emergency lights, he couldn't see anything more then ten feet ahead of him. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he quickly smacked himself in the forehead.

"You dummy!" the Captain murmured to himself. "You're wearing a freaking headlight on your cap! With it, I can definitely see what's up ahead!"

Leon put his finger up to the light to turn it on when a wave of fear took a hold of him.

"But I don't WANNA see what's up ahead! What if it gets startled and attacks me? I don't wanna turn on my light, I don't wanna turn on my light…"

Back in the cockpit, the rest of the crew were listening and watching the Captain as he was going through the beginning of a nervous breakdown. Reginald massaged his forehead.

"No doubt about it now. He's gonna crack."

But none of the Toads viewed him as a coward at all. How could they, when they themselves were so reluctant to go on the mission? However, it appeared any words of comfort or encouragement they might have had were hopelessly lost as they heard Leon's babbling and whimpering streaming out of the walkie talkie.

But suddenly, the least likely out of them all grabbed the talkie. Toby breathed in deeply before talking with Leon.

"Captain, we know you are really, really terrified right now. As a matter of fact, we're pretty terrified now too! Okay, that's not gonna help…But the point is though, we didn't pick you as a leader because you found some fancy headlight. We didn't pick you cause you were the loudest. We picked you because you were the bravest and most daring out of all of us! Don't let fear control you like this! Just know we're right behind you (figuratively) all the way, even in this really scary moment. So please; don't give up now, oh Captain my Captain!"

The Banktoad's words cut through the fog of panic and Leon was touched by this young Toad's assurance (as well as his obscure movie reference). He quickly breathed in and out, letting go of his fear and apprehension the best he could with each breath. Puffing up his chest, he put his finger to the headlight and turned it on, revealing the creature that tormented his crew for so long.

The headlight flooded the hallway and the crew members saw the thing in the hall. Each of their jaws dropped to the floor.

"I don't believe it," said Jeremiah in a strangled tone. "All this time, we were hiding from…"

"A GOOMBA?" screamed Leon in the most awful voice. "WE WERE CRAPPING OUR PANTS BECAUSE OF A GOOMBA?"

Yes, dear readers, in front of the brave Captain Leon was a standard, short, ugly brown Goomba. Startled by the strong, unexpected light, it quickly hobbled away into the opposite direction.

Or at least it tried to.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, SONNY BOY!" With a warlike screech, Leon ran after the Goomba with stun stick held high in his right hand. It didn't take long for him to catch up with the slow moving creature. What followed was perhaps the most blood soaked and gruesome slaying of a single Goomba in the history of Toadkind. Leon showed no mercy to the pitiful thing. The crew members watched, half in awe of their Captain's strength and half in horror at the gore and blood splattering the innards of the Starshroom like blots of paint being expelled from the brush of a mad painter. This incident would mark the first time a Toad managed to kill a Goomba without assistance. It would also mark the first murder committed by a non-fatal stun stick.

A full fifteen minutes passed by before Leon's blood thirst was sated. Kicking aside the pulpy mass that was once a servant of Bowser, the Captain sat on the floor and managed to find a clean spot of wall to lay his back against. Breathing heavily and filled to the brim with adrenaline, he radioed the rest of his team in a shaky, but clear voice.

"It is finished."

"Not yet." said Reginald in a grim voice. "We still have one more intruder in the ship, remember?"

Leon laid his head a little longer on the wall. Then, with surprising energy, he quickly got to his feet.

"A Captain's job is never done, is it?" Leon turned the radio off and headed to the observatory area, with an extra boost of confidence in each of his steps.

Meanwhile, back on the Starshroom, the mood became tense once again after the brief excitement in the killing of the Goomba. Still, the crew's lips were loosened more and they became more assured that they could dispatch the next creature just as easily.

"So the Goomba went into the ship by spraying acid on the hull?" asked Zeus to Reginald. "I didn't know they could do anything like that!"

"I think I read in a science article that Goombas were able to use powerful, concentrated acid for self defense purposes. But I had no idea it was strong enough to dissolve steel…"

"But what the hell is a Goomba doing all the way out here?" asked Toby.

"Considering that Mario has been punting Goombas left and right into space recently, it's not absurd to think a couple survived."

"How long will it be before the ship's engine is fully charged?" asked a wearied Jeremiah.

"It's still gonna take at least another half hour, at the least. Now, let's look at the cameras and find-"

"Hold up." Zeus interjected. He was fixated on a camera frame. "What is this thing moving?"

In the halls of the Starshroom, Leon held his gore caked stick high and mighty. Who would dare to threaten his ship now?

In the cockpit.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"Not a Goomba, that's for sure…"

Leon couldn't believe it. A few minutes ago, he felt he was almost gonna piss his pants. Now, it wasn't an absurd thought to whistle a happy tune while looking for this troublesome, probably harmless invader.

Cockpit.

"Shit…this thing is nothing like we have seen at all…"

"Wait…does someone have a position on the Captain?"

In the gloomy hall, Leon actually did wind up whistling a childhood tune. He picked up his radio to find out if the team got an update on their second guest's location.

"Hello, men." said Leon cheerfully. "Any idea where-"

"LEON! !"

A chill breath touched the back of his neck, setting all the hairs one-eighty degrees straight. He turned around and found himself staring into a blank, masklike face of a horrible blue phantom. Its long, wirelike hair covered the dark eye sockets partly obscured its piercing gaze that turns heart into chunks of lifeless ice. Opening its mouth, it wailed the very same wail our heroes heard in the beginning of this novel. Behold! This is the face of Death itself!

Leon opened his mouth into a small "o", but no scream, wail, or screech erupted. Instead, a strangled, gurgling sound spewed from his mouth. The phantom reached out its hand in front of the paralyzed Toad's face.

"WHAT THE #$%& ARE YOU DOING?" screamed the entire crew into the walkie talkie. This static filled outburst brought Leon into reality in light speed's time. From his throat, a savage war cry filled with anger, terror, adrenaline-indeed, a summary of the entire ordeal so far- erupted like a long stagnant volcano brought to life. He found himself once more holding the stun stick high in the air and brutally swinging it into the side of the phantom. Surprisingly, it was a solid figure, despite its ghost like appearance. With a loud cry, it fell to the floor, surprised by the sheer strength and the paralyzing effect of the stun stick.

Sensing weakness, Leon reverted back to his primal state, his eyes filled with battle lust. Roaring, he landed heavy, crippling blows onto the blue phantom. While doing so, horribly filthy profanity spewed from his mouth; so profane that, unfortunately, this author cannot type it for the dear readers to view. But let us just say that Captain Leon is one of the very few beings in the universe capable of making the phrase "like a biscuit" be associated with the most gruesome acts of sodomy.

In the cockpit, all four members of the Toad Brigade (yes, even sleepy Jeremiah) were shouting along with their Captain, urging him on to kill the creature and contributing some of their own verses to add to the dirty sewage of vocabulary. But never before this moment had the Brigade been this unified in a singular goal. And they cheered the Captain on, even when their voices became sandpaper hoarse.

After several minutes of horrific beatings, the phantom screeched in a high, shrill voice. With a sudden puff of navy blue smoke, it disappeared from sight. It was unknown how bad it was hurt since Leon never got to see its face or examine its body long enough. But now the stun stick was covered with a blue, gel like liquid along with the previous Goomba's own life substance.

Toad Captain Leon dropped the stick from his aching arms and hands. Then, tilting his massive cap back, he yelled with a voice of triumph into the halls of his beloved Starshroom. And in the cockpit, all the members followed suit joyfully.

Time passes…

Eventually, the ship's engine was charged enough for a trip back to Starship Mario. When the Brigade arrived, they found that Mario was preparing for the final assault at Bowser's stronghold. To the plumber's surprise, the Toad Brigade offered to give some backup support and reconnaissance. The five Toads told Mario of their plight and the discovery of their new found courage after the Italian successfully toppled Bowser's plan to take over the universe.

To reward them for their bravery, the Toad Brigade were each given a piece of the Peach Cake, hand delivered by Princess Peach herself.

After getting their fill of cake (and agreeing it was the best cake of all time), they decided the only way to wash down such deliciousness was with a cup of cold, toadstool beer. So the five made their way to the tavern and it wasn't long before their conversations and laughter filled the capacity of the bar.

It was an hour before Reginald brought up the inevitable.

"You know, we never found out exactly what the heck the second intruder was."

Leon, high in spirits from the potent toadstool draft, responded cheerfully:

"Who cares, my good fellow? It is dead and it will never bother us again! I think I'll keep the stun stick mounted on my wall to show how I, the great Captain Leon, vanquished-"

His speech was interrupted by a sudden swinging of the tavern door. Lubba, the purple Luma engineer, entered and quickly waved to the Toads. The Brigade greeted him in loud voices.

"Lubba!"

"My favorite Luma!"

"Well, if it isn't Lubba!"

"Look who it is!"

*snore*

"It's good to see you guys too," said Lubba with his wide smile. "I've been looking for y'all everywhere!"

"Well, have a beer if you are planning to stay!" said Leon, roaring with laughter.

"I would love to, Cap'n, but I got to head back to the Cosmic Observatory. No, the reason I wanted to see you was to ask y'all a question."

"Ask away, my dear fellow." said Leon as he started puffing a pipe he fished from his front shirt pocket.

"Did you guys get the aid we sent you when the Starshroom got shut down?"

Leon took the pipe from his face and his happy face contorted slightly.

"Aid?"

"Well, you guys sent a distress signal and I got it. I was about to go myself, but Rosalina went instead. She really wanted to meet you guys."

The happy laughter and buzz vanished from the air and the Toads put their beers on the table, looking at Lubba. Jeremiah, who awoke shortly before, was listening intently as well. Little did they know that the distress signal was in fact working when the ship lost power. Only the light that signaled the beacon's activity was broken, which fooled the crew into thinking they lost the emergency signal as well.

Lubba continued his story.

"So Rosalina finally found your ship in deep space and entered in her "Super Guide" form, which allows here to pass through objects. But she isn't really good at locating things and stuff so, according to her, she started yelling for you guys in the halls."

Lubba never noticed, but the five Toads suddenly adopted a deathly pallor on their faces. Leon had no trace of his previous joviality, which was instead marked with a slow growing horror.

"It may have been hard for you guys to see her, what with your ship being really dark and her being really hard to see since she's in her blue colored, phantom form. But a few hours later, she came back all beat up and stuff! I asked her what happened, and she said she couldn't find the Toads and quickly asked for a doctor. But she never actually said a word about what exactly happened to her. I assumed she tripped over something in the dark, got busted up, and came back to Starship to get patched up."

Lubba cleared his throat. By this time, each and every Toad had the expression of one who was just given a sentence to be drawn and quartered.

"Anyways, I also have a message to deliver from Rosalina. She says to come to her Cosmic Observatory for a quick chat as soon as possible. I think she wants to explain why she couldn't help you guys herself. I also just want to let you all know that even though she couldn't fix your ship up for you, she had all the best intentions. But hey-shit happens, like tripping really badly in the dark or whatever. Just don't blame her too much. See you guys later!"

With that, the obese Luma left the tavern. The Brigade sat in silence. No one touched their beers.

"So…" began Leon in a completely deflated voice. "What do we do now?"

"Well," said Reginald, his eyes looking somewhere far into the distance. "We severely mauled the watcher of the cosmos after she attempted to help. We also assaulted her with verbal abuse. And she just called us so she can do God knows what to us, although my guess is it will be extremely painful and most likely fatal."

The Brigade made eye contact with another, wondering what to do to get out of this immense quagmire.

But, unsurprisingly, Leon was the first to get up. Picking up his mug, he drank slowly from the cup and let the alcohol thoroughly burn his innards. Putting it down, he regained his title of Captain; instantly, the rest of the Team were transfixed by him.

"Gentlemen," said Leon, slightly strengthened by the strong beer. "I'd say it is high time that the Toad Brigade…_relocate_ and use our skills to help others in need. I also say that we destroy the Starshroom and send a letter signed by the 'government' to Rosalina that says the Toad Brigade tragically died after a…umm…"

"A gas leak." said Zeus.

"A gas leak."

"No one survived at all." added Toby.

"No one survived."

"And the remains were completely incinerated, rendering it impossible to get DNA information." Jeremiah piped in.

Leon nodded his approval. He picked up his mug again and raised it in the air.

"Those who agree with this motion, say 'aye'".

Immediately, four more mugs joined his owned, followed by a resounding "aye."

"Well, gentlemen," Leon took another swig at his cup.

"Let's finish our drinks and haul ass. Long live the Toad Brigade."

**The End.**

_Author's Note:_

_I have finally completed my first fanfiction! It was a fun little story that I enjoyed typing and I'm just glad I finally got to tell my own tale of the Toad Brigade. Inspiration came in the unlikeliest of places. I got the inception of the story after playing through "Super Mario Galaxy 2", which is one of the best games of this generation in my opinion. For some of the initial scare scenes, I pulled some "Ghost Hunters" dialog here and there. But for the actual reactions by the Toad, I definitely drew influence from watching "4PlayerPodcast", a show where, basically, four guys sit and play video games. Their reactions are often the most hilarious when they play scary games like the Fatal Frame series, and their varied reactions were given to the Toads of this story._

_So is a possible sequel in the works? I left the ending open ended just in case I may want to revisit Leon, Reginald, Toby, Zeus and Jeremiah. But for now, I would like to write about more subjects before expanding "The Toad Brigade" universe. Right now, I have some neat stories dealing with Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid, and Yoshi (yes, I am a huge Nintendo fan). But with school approaching, we'll have to wait and see. If I do write another fanfic though, it'll have to be kept short like this one. Hopefully, you shall hear from me soon _

_Thanks for reading,_

_AmbitionMakesYouUgly _


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